[T.L: punisher87]
Not having Kozec means that Kinzelo and Zipfel have to fight while trying to acquire it.
How many warriors and mages have gathered here, and what kind of power do they possess? The island is filled with 7- and 8-star level beings, with even 9-star mages among them.
If they were to fight with all their might, this small island would disappear from the map in an instant.
However, the disappearance of the island would not be the end. The island would be engulfed in chaos with a mixture of aura and mana unleashed by the warriors and mages, causing explosions, whirlwinds, floods, and all sorts of disasters.
Amidst all that, how many humans would be able to survive? Even the most powerful warriors would be unable to swim against the powerful whirlpools, and even the grand mages would not be able to breathe underwater.
Even if they could somehow escape from that chaos (for example, by riding on a dragon), if the situation on the island escalated to that point, it would only result in a bad outcome for everyone involved. It is highly unlikely that Runcandel and Vermont would fail to detect such a massive conflict.
Zipfel and Kinzelo must conceal their alliance and the existence of the compass. Especially if the compass were to break or get lost during the battle, the loss for Kinzelo would be immeasurable.
Jin and his companions would also be in trouble if their true identities were revealed. They would lose their sanctuary called Tikan and would no longer be safe anywhere in the world.
‘I thought the threat to kill us all was just a bluff to buy time for some reason, but it was to confirm that Kozec is not on the island...!?’
This was a heavy blow to Carl.
‘Come to think of it, the black helmet this guy is wearing... It's the item that the White Night mages mentioned when they went to Colon. Talaris protected her daughter and the one wearing the black helmet from Kozec. Damn it, why did I only think of this now?’
Midor Elner, his half brother on the ship, also mentioned the same thing. The person who killed Myuron Zipfel was the one wearing the black helmet.
Regretting it now was pointless.
Furthermore, even if he had known beforehand, it wouldn't have changed Jin's unwavering determination.
Why did he go to Colon at that time? Does he perhaps know about the existence of the divine mirror? What is his relationship with the master of the hidden palace? Could it be that he, not the master of the hidden palace, destroyed Kozec in Colon?
What kind of grudge did he hold against Zipfel? How did he manage to uncover the secrets of Colon's divine mirror and compass one by one?
Countless questions rapidly filled Carl’s mind, causing confusion.
Zap!
A lightning bolt engulfed Sigmund. The Plutonian Swordsmanship's plain thunderbolt, Jin had decided to control the intensity of the fight.
‘I should fight for a while and then escape at the right moment.’
The best outcome would be to kill Chukon, Carl, and all the minions on the first floor and outside the gambling den.
But that was impossible. With the remaining strength, it would be difficult to break through Chukon's Extreme Defence Magic, and in a situation where he had to fight both, Jin couldn't afford to expend his full power.
So, when this fight is over, what result should he aim for?
Before extending his sword, Jin reached a conclusion.
‘Rendering Carl incapacitated and making him a hostage for the Kinzelo faction would be the best scenario. If I were Chukon, there would be no reason for me to leave Carl behind after he collapsed and I escaped.’
Zipfel and Kinzelo were wary of engaging in a full-scale battle with each other. Although it didn't show on the surface, in Jin's eyes, Kinzelo was a group that could become a major force.
However, Kinzelo did not receive the compass as promised and suffered significant damage in the process.
In that case, capturing Carl as a hostage and making some demands to Zipfel would be a beneficial move for Kinzelo. There was no reason not to.
Naturally, deepening the animosity between Kinzelo and Zipfel would also be advantageous for Jin.
‘Interesting. Chukon Tolderer, you will soon realize my intentions. And you will have no choice but to follow along, unless you're a fool."
Pzzz!
Thunderbolts began to descend. At the same time, Chukon swung his staff and created a large barrier, within which the remaining subordinates of Kinzelo gathered.
However, the barrier was rendered insignificant as lightning bolts rained down solely on Carl and his subordinates.
"Ugh! Don't underestimate me, you bastard!"
"You change the titles quite frequently. Is it a habit of yours?"
The five surviving escort knights of Zipfel were the elite of the elites. They seemed to have adapted slightly to the lightning attacks, showing better responses than before.
They utilized the shields or predicted the locations where the lightning would strike in order to avoid them. There were some knights that shot their sword to counterattack.
Chukon and his subordinates were trapped within the barrier, watching the situation.
"Sir Chukon! Will you just stand still!"
When Carl criticized him, Chukon shook his head. Well, our alliance is already over, and you just tried to attack me from behind, didn't you? He had a face that portrayed such a sentiment.
Crack! Shatter!
The sword strikes from Carl's knight struck Sigmund. Except for Carl, the mages of Zipfel were unable to counterattack as they were busy maintaining the barrier.
They felt anxious about exposing themselves to attacks if they hastily cast spells for a counterattack. Apart from Carl, the others seemed to be urgently focused on blocking the lightning.
"Sir Carl! Retreat, I'll hold them off!"
"Don't talk nonsense! Aren't there any of his lackeys on the first floor? The top-tier mages from the first floor haven't come up yet. Sir Chukon, we need to fight together!"
Chukon remained silent.
He was no longer mocking Carl but instead focused on understanding Jin's true power.
‘Due to the special power called thunderbolts, I was confused, but he has an 8-star or early-stage 8-star level aura. However, his actual combat ability feels far superior to 8-star level knights.’
In that case, there was no reason why Carl couldn't subdue Jin if he weakened his power slightly.
On the contrary, Chukon thought that the possibility of Carl defeating Jin was low.
‘Still, he should be able to inflict some injuries. I'm concerned about activating the Magic tower master’s staff before getting killed by that guy, though.’
The Magic Tower Master’s Staff had runic inscriptions. When the runic inscriptions were activated, reinforcements would immediately come from the 4th Magic Tower, and Runcandel and Vermont would pick up the scent.
That would pose a significant risk not only to Kinzelo but also to Zipfel, but if Carl was pushed into a corner, he would undoubtedly prioritize his own life.
‘It's frustrating, but it seems it would be better to assist Carl and first subdue the intruder…’
As Chukon had that thought.
Suddenly, the lightning stopped.
The knights did not miss that opportunity and rushed towards Jin, and Carl began casting offensive magic for the first time.
Jin unveiled another Plutonian Sword move.
‘Suppression.’
Sigmund swiftly deflected the swords of the five knights who attacked simultaneously.
Not even a minute had passed since they clumsily began to cope with the plain thunderbolts, and yet another unknown sword technique began.
"Ugh!"
The two knights lost their heads in the middle of unexpected force exerted by Sigmund. The remaining three reflexively distanced themselves, and as soon as an opening appeared, Jin threw himself at Carl.
"Die!" Carl shouted and extended his staff. In an instant, countless ice blades were about to pour forth from the staff.
Gaaah!
Sshh!
Sigmund severed the top of the staff. Nevertheless, the ice blades poured forth as planned, and Jin did not avoid them.
He relied on the helmet and the breastplate. As a result, his clothes were torn to shreds, and his arms were covered in deep cuts and injuries, but fortunately, no pieces were embedded in his bones.
Thud, thud...!
Blood and flesh dripped from Jin's arms and shoulders in an instant.
If it weren't for the legendary armor, he wouldn't have escaped with just injuries.
"Is it because you flustered? It seems the power of Magic Tower Master is not something I should look out for."
Crunch! Jin crushed the shattered staff fragments beneath his feet. The runic inscriptions written on the fragments were also destroyed, and Carl could only have a pale face.
Losing the staff didn't pose a significant problem in using magic, but it meant that his last safety measure was gone.
"Don't be too discouraged. Even if you activated the runic inscriptions, you guys would have been in a tough spot, anyway."
At those words, both Carl and Chukon, who was spectating, couldn't help but feel a chill run down their spines.
It wasn't because of Jin's swordsmanship or daring moves. It was because they felt their inner thoughts being read. Especially Chukon, who felt a shiver down his spine.
As if looking straight into his thoughts, Jin swiftly disarmed the Magic Tower Master’s Staff as soon as Chukon became aware of it.
Jin roughly brushed off the ice blades stuck in his arm and stared at Chukon. His eyes seemed to say, "Now you should understand."
‘The wounds are deeper than expected. Now I should finish Carl off and make my escape.’
Although not fatal, with his arm being practically useless, he couldn't wield his sword properly.
Furthermore, Carl didn't anticipate the staff being severed. But in the first place, his initial offensive magic, the "Slicing Ice Blade" was a bluff. The magic he had truly prepared was something else.
Crackle!
Blue flames flickered in Carl's pupils.
It was Zipfel's vision magic, the Gaze of Blue Flame. The magic that burns the opponent with a blue flame that never extinguishes just by watching…
That magic is exactly what Myuron Zipfel used in Colon.
Writhe in flames that consume your entire body.
Carl wanted to taunt Jin with those words, to see Jin's face gradually losing composure in agony from the flames of the Blue Flame.
However, the smile of self-satisfaction that appeared on Carl's lips froze before a second had passed.
Gaaah!
The ruler of the Flame Dimension, the true master of the blue flames.
Tess was summoned.
"T-Tess...!"
Chukon's mouth hung open. In addition to the eerie Lightning Sword and insight, it was Tess. He knew Jin was a Magic Swordsman, but after the Flash Cannon, he mistakenly believed that he would not use magic again.
He thought his magic skills were merely "decent."
Although Jin’s aura hit the rock bottom, and both arms were drenched in blood, but the shadow force and mana were still radiating intensely.
"Ha."
As Carl let out a sigh mixed with self-disgust, the Blue Flame that was about to engulf Jin was extinguished.
The fact that Jin possessed the Phoenix, Tess, was unknown to the witnesses, White Night and Midor Elner, who fought against Jin in Colon. The only witness who saw Tess, Myuron Zipfel, had already met his demise before they arrived.
"What... in the world are you?"
A voice filled with desolation. Carl still had sufficient mana to continue the fight, but his will was broken.
That meant he was defeated. No matter what he tried, Carl couldn't win against Jin. No matter how remarkable his magic was or how high his mana was.
"Well, you don't need to know who I am. I want to talk about something else."
Jin's gaze shifted behind Carl. It was the spot where Chukon stood.
"You should be careful of your back, Carl."
Swish!
A beam of mana shot by Chukon pierced through Carl's shoulder.
Amazing